10 players Bayern Munich regret selling

As one of the greatest clubs in European football, Bayern Munich have made a name for themselves as a ‘super club’. Players like Gerd Muller, Oliver Kahn and Miroslav Klose have donned the famous colours of Germany’s most successful club, but many have gone on and succeeded elsewhere.

Whether it’s in search of a more competitive league or in search of more playing time, for the then youngsters on this list, here are ten players the club perhaps regret selling.

#10 Lothar Matthaus

There’s no doubting that Lothar Matthaus was one of the greatest players to grace a football pitch. The German midfielder had it all from well-timed tackling to inch-perfect passing and great positional sense.

Just four years into his Bayern Munich career – after moving from Borussia Monchengladbach – Matthaus transferred to Inter Milan. At the time, it’s fair to say that playing in Italy was the biggest achievement in a footballer’s career. It was the league to be in.

Matthaus won three consecutive Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich in addition to reaching the 1987 Champions League final prior to his move to the Italian giants, where he fine-tuned his career.

During his time in Italy, Matthaus captained West Germany to a World Cup final win over Argentina while being named in the All-star team alongside Andreas Brehme and Jurgen Klinsmann. His heroics at Italia ’90 led to Matthaus being named the Ballon d'Or winner in 1990.

Two years later, the World Cup winner was back at Bayern Munich at the age of 31. A better player than he was when he left for Italy in 1988, Matthaus spent a further eight years in Bavaria before moving to America, where he retired.

During his second spell at the club, Matthaus won a further four Bundesliga titles, two DFB Pokals and one European Cup. One can imagine what Bayern Munich would have achieved if he stayed in Germany during his prime.